The full-scale immersion into conference play in January challenged the notions of what we thought we knew about this particular college basketball season.

Some teams embraced the familiarity inherent in league foes. Michigan and Virginia, for example, raced out to brilliant starts against Big Ten and ACC opponents, respectively, after stumbling through portions of the nonconference schedule. Some teams went the opposite way. Baylor has tumbled to a 2-7 start to Big 12 play and Oregon’s lone win in its first six Pac-12 tries came in OT to a Utah team that isn’t remotely a contender for the league title.

These reversals of fortune are reflected in this month’s Ranking the States. Last month, the state of Ohio took the top spot thanks to exceptional depth of quality programs throughout the state and the presence of Ohio State as the No. 3 team in the AP poll. Since then, though, the Buckeyes fell apart for a few weeks, and the unexpected rise of Cincinnati wasn’t enough to keep Ohio atop the ranking this month.

Special shout-outs to Illinois and Maryland, two states outside of the top 25 that should be ashamed of the quality (or lack thereof) in their states. The Land of Lincoln has 13 Division I programs, and none of them have any shot at making the NCAA Tournament, barring some type of freak run to an automatic bid. That’s just unacceptable for a state that’s home to Chicago, a city that’s easily top five in terms of producing college basketball talent. Same thing with the state of Maryland, which sits in the middle of the fertile DMV recruiting ground, but has only one team in the Pomeroy or RPI top 125 rankings right now.

About this list

With this ranking, I’m taking into account a little bit of everything, loosely following the same general principles the selection committee does when trying to seed the NCAA Tournament. It’s not solely about winning percentage or strength of schedule or big wins, but a combination of many factors. So, yes, while based on evidence and research and as much number-crunching as possible, at its essence, this is a subjective list.

And I’m only looking at the best a state has to offer; there’s no reason to penalize a state for having low-major teams that spend the nonconference portion of the schedule racking up losses while playing money games that help support their school’s athletics budget. That said, there is value in having a high percentage of the state’s teams playing quality basketball. A state with multiple postseason-bound teams (the NCAA, NIT or CBI) will be ranked higher than one with one excellent team but not much else (hi, Connecticut).

Another important note: As with the tournament selection committee, there is no weight given for things that happened before this season.

For the “Supporting school” item, I included all teams ranked in the top 150 of either the RPI (via CBSSports.com) or Pomeroy ratings (through Tuesday’s games). Also, I included Washington, D.C., which obviously isn’t a state but does have four D-I programs. And, Alaska does not have a D-I school, so it’s not listed.

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1

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Kansas (3 D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 4 Wichita State and No. 8 Kansas
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rating): Kansas State
Combined record for these three teams: 55-12
Last month: 2
Need to know: Moving the Sunflower State up to the top spot was an easy choice. Since the inaugural Ranking the States piece made its debut the afternoon of January 8, Wichita State and Kansas are a combined 15-1 and both have spent at least a week as a No. 1 seed in SN’s Field of 68 NCAA Tournament projection. And, yes, Kansas State has tripped up a bit, but the Wildcats still own victories over four at-large quality teams this season (Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and George Washington). When that type of team is your “weak link,” you don’t have a “weak link.”

Need to know: Quite honestly, had Ohio State not ended its slide with two unexpected road wins at Wisconsin and at Iowa, the state of Ohio might have slid another spot or two in this ranking. But overall, Ohio still has an excellent collection of basketball schools; nine of the state’s 13 D-I schools are in the top 150 (plus, Miami and Youngstown State barely missed). Look at the MAC—Toledo, Ohio and Akron are tied atop the conference standings with identical 6-2 marks, and one of them is likely to snag the automatic bid.

3

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Michigan (seven D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 9 Michigan State and No. 10 Michigan
Supporting school (with Pom/RPI rank): Eastern Michigan (123/76)
Combined record for these three teams: 47-17
Last month: 12

Need to know: When we did the first state ranking, the Michigan Wolverines were in a precarious position. They’d lost preseason All-American Mitch McGary for the season with back issues, and entered Big Ten play with an unimpressive 8-4 record. That seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it? Since that first ranking, the Wolverines have won at Wisconsin and at Michigan State, and knocked off an Elite Eight-quality Iowa team at home. So, yes, they led their state’s charge way up this list. Maybe it’s a touch too high and unsustainable, but the reality is, the Great Lakes State has a pair of top-10 teams. Kansas is the only other state that can make that claim, so Michigan is No. 3 this month.

Need to know: Both Louisville and Kentucky have enough talent to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament and both are in the AP top 20, but both are just inconsistent enough that an early exit isn’t out of the realm of possibility. That makes this a difficult state to slot, especially considering that teams like Morehead State, Western Kentucky and Murray State aren’t quite at their peak right now (though the Racers have played very well in the last month).

5

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Iowa (four D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 16 Iowa State and No. 17 Iowa
Supporting school (with Pom/RPI rank): Northern Iowa (103-112)
Combined record for these three teams: 45-21
Last month: 3

Need to know: There have been a few cracks in the Iowa armor in the past month. Both Iowa and Iowa State are very good teams, but they’ve had trouble in conference play. The Hawkeyes are just 1-6 against teams in the Pomeroy top 20, and Iowa State is 1-3 away from home in the past month (though, maybe that triple-overtime win at Oklahoma State is a turning point). Add that to Drake falling out of the top 150, and the state slides a bit.

Need to know: It’s been a solid month for the Golden State. San Diego State hasn’t lost since mid-November. California knocked off undefeated and top-ranked Arizona last weekend. UCLA is doing its UCLA thing, and Stanford still is in decent shape for an at-large bid. And, the 14 schools in the top 150 is impressive.

Need to know: Syracuse still hasn’t lost in ACC play (or, at all, for that matter). St. John’s is playing better basketball and there are a handful of mid- to low-major schools from the state that will have legitimate shots at earning auto bids to the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around.

8

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North Carolina (18 D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 11 Duke
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): North Carolina (29/39), N.C. State (87/63), Wake Forest (102/81), Charlotte (146/117), North Carolina Central (129/133)
Combined record for these six teams: 91-41
Last month: 8
Need to know: This was a weird month for teams from the state of North Carolina. The Tar Heels, of course, remained schizophrenic before settling down in the past week or two. Duke looked lost in a loss at Clemson, but has been playing excellent basketball over the past two weeks and once again looks like a Final Four contender. Both Davidson and Elon fell out of the top 150 this month, but that’s more a reflection on the level of the Southern Conference than the way those teams are playing. One of the two likely will wind up with that auto bid.

9

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Oklahoma (four D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 19 Oklahoma State and No. 21 Oklahoma
Supporting school (with Pom/RPI rank): Tulsa (121/131)
Combined record for these three teams: 43-22
Last month: 16

Need to know: In the past month, Oklahoma has gone from a bubble team to nearly lock status, while Oklahoma State has taken a few body blows. First, it was Michael Cobbins’ season-ending injury, then Stevie Clark’s dismissal from the team for another arrest. Still, though, with two teams in the top 25, this state belongs in the top 10.

Need to know: Who knew the Texas Longhorns would be the team most capable of ending Kansas’ grip on the Big 12? Not anyone we know of, but that’s the reality we’re looking at right now. The Longhorns are NCAA Tournament locks now, which is good for the state because Baylor has kind of fallen apart. SMU likely will earn an at-large bid, and teams like Stephen F. Austin, UTEP (yes, even with the depleted roster, the Miners are 6-1 in C-USA play) and Sam Houston State could earn auto bids.

11

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Arizona (four D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 2 Arizona
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): Arizona State (31/47)
Combined record for these two teams: 37-7
Last month: 13

Need to know: Arizona had an awful Saturday. The Arizona Wildcats lost their undefeated record and big man Brandon Ashley, and Arizona State missed an opportunity to boost its NCAA resume with a six-point loss at Stanford. Still, though, the Wildcats are firmly established as one of the top two or three contenders for the national title, so the state moves up a few spots.

Need to know: This state is this month’s biggest mover, thanks to outstanding conference performances by Virginia and VCU—those two teams are a combined 13-2 since last month’s ranking and are sitting near the top in the ACC and Atlantic 10 standings, respectively. Virginia broke into the AP Top 25, and VCU is high up on the “also receiving votes” list.

Need to know: This was a rough month for Pennsylvania. The standard-bearer, Villanova, lost a game by 28 points at home. Pittsburgh lost back-to-back prove-yourself home games against Duke and Virginia. Temple fell out of the top 150, and La Salle fell off the fringes of the bubble discussion.

14

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Florida (13 D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No. 3 Florida
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): Florida State (27/40), Miami (79/97), South Florida (168/146)
Combined record for these four teams: 55-31
Last month: 10

Need to know: The Florida Gators are riding high, with a No. 3 ranking in the AP poll and the arrival of stud freshman Chris Walker (finally). But that’s about it for good news for this state’s basketball prospects. Florida State has lost four of five and is no longer a sure at-large team, and Miami is just 2-6 in the ACC, even though the Hurricanes have pushed undefeated Syracuse to the brink twice.

Need to know: Saint Louis hasn’t lost since falling by five points to still-undefeated Wichita State way back on December 1, but the Billikens have had a relatively easy start to the A-10 schedule. That changes now, with roadies at Saint Joseph’s and La Salle on tap, followed by a visit from VCU. Missouri is a middling 4-5 in the SEC and very much in danger of winding up on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Need to know: It’s been a banner month for this state. Creighton had the hiccup at Providence but has otherwise dominated the revamped Big East—that 28-point win at Villanova was a thing of beauty—and Nebraska has pulled a few Big Ten surprises. The Cornhuskers started conference play 0-4, but have won three consecutive home games, against Ohio State, Minnesota and Indiana. That’s impressive.

17

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Wisconsin (four D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: Wisconsin, though the Badgers dropped from No. 3 in the AP poll in the middle of the month to unranked this week
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): Green Bay (61/59), Marquette (57/83)
Combined record for these three teams: 49-19
Last month: 6

Need to know: It’s hard to term this past month anything but a disaster for the Cheese State. The Wisconsin Badgers lost five of six during an ugly stretch, including an unthinkable three straight at home. They’re not in any real danger of missing the NCAA Tournament (yet), but their hopes of a top-four seed are disappearing. Marquette isn’t an at-large team, and Milwaukee fell out of the top 150 after a mediocre 5-5 start to Horizon League play.

Need to know: Yet another state that had a difficult month. Harvard’s loss to Florida Atlantic ended any remote hopes of an at-large bid, and UMass has lost three of four after starting the season 16-1. And Boston College hasn’t figured things out; the Eagles are 6-15 on the season and 2-6 in the ACC.

Need to know: Both Memphis and Tennessee have been tough to figure out. They both own excellent wins—Memphis won at Louisville and Tennessee beat Virginia by 35—and head-scratching losses—the Tigers were blown out at SMU and Tennessee lost at home to Texas A&M. Also, Belmont lost its first-place spot in the Ohio Valley.

Need to know: At this point, only Indiana and Indiana State have even a remote shot at earning an at-large bid, and those teams both need best-case scenarios to play out for that to happen. It’s hard to fathom the Hoosier State ranking 20th on a list of best basketball states, but the reality is, there’s more mediocrity than excellence here in the 2013-14 season.

21

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Washington, D.C. (four D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: no ranked teams
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): George Washington (40/31), Georgetown (54/58), American (93/118)
Combined record for these three teams: 44-20
Last month: 21
Need to know: Of the DC-area teams, American has been the biggest surprise of 2014. The Eagles started the season 3-7 but haven’t lost since. They’re 10-0 in the Patriot League, including a 30-point win at Boston University, which was 6-0 in conference play heading into that game.

22

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New Mexico (two D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: no ranked teams
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): New Mexico (51/26), New Mexico State (83-74)
Combined record for these two teams: 34-11
Last month: 22

Need to know: New Mexico is 8-1 in the Mountain West Conference, just a game behind San Diego State, with two games left against the Aztecs. The story hasn’t been so good for New Mexico State, which was the overwhelming favorite in the WAC. The Aggies lost road games at Chicago State and UMKC, and sit tied with Grand Canyon University, a game behind Utah Valley.

Need to know: The state of Washington moves into the top 25 this month, but that has more to do with states like Illinois and Colorado taking a tumble than anything the teams in the state have actually done. Gonzaga, as expected, is leading the WCC. Washington is 5-4 in the Pac-12 with wins against Colorado and Oregon, and Washington State is 2-7, with one of those wins against Washington. Yep.

Need to know: Same scenario as Washington’s debut in the top 25. UConn has taken care of business, for the most part, over the past month. The Huskies are 5-3 in the AAC and Shabazz Napier is playing like a conference player of the year.

25

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Oregon (four D-I schools)

Carrying the state flag: No ranked teams
Supporting schools (with Pom/RPI rank): Oregon (39/45), Oregon State (96/86), Portland (108/165)
Combined record for these three teams: 41-24
Last month: 20

Need to know: Another state with an odd month of basketball. Oregon, which started the season 13-0, has just two Pac-12 wins. Oregon State, which started the season 8-6, is 5-4 in the Pac-12, including wins against Oregon and UCLA. And the state gets an added boost from Portland, which is the only WCC team to knock off Gonzaga this season.